The blog of the University of Edinburgh's PIR subject area

Scottish Government plans on immigration: Are they feasible?

There are no major surprises in the Scottish Government’s plans on immigration, as set out in the White Paper on Scotland’s Future published today. As expected, the paper outlines a programme for a more liberal stance on many aspects of immigration and asylum policy. This is refreshing given the largely negative and defensive debate on immigration policy south of the border. But how feasible are the plans for liberalising immigration in the event of Scottish independence?

Border control. The paper proposes that an independent Scotland be part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) currently in operation between the UK and Ireland. This would imply no (or at least very limited) border controls between Scotland and the rest of the UK (rUK). This proposal seems reasonable and feasible. Whatever the current rhetoric, rUK would have a strong interest in free circulation between an independent Scotland and England.